


Reinvention Reinvented

by AceSparkleGirl



Series: Sincerely, Reinvention Zombie AU [1]
Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Children, Gen, Guns, Minor Violence, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-01
Updated: 2018-04-01
Packaged: 2019-04-16 20:11:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14172519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceSparkleGirl/pseuds/AceSparkleGirl
Summary: Normally, two years in the ass-end of an apocalypse would get anyone used to figuring out how to get around. Learn the loops, and figure out how to— well. Not die.





	Reinvention Reinvented

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate Title: Sincerely, Zombie AU.
> 
> Note: The violence isn't super graphic, but I'd feel bad not tagging it because it is violent because like zombies and stuff!! But like... Yeah. Yes. Thank you for coming.

Normally, two years in the ass-end of an apocalypse would get anyone used to figuring out how to get around. Learn the loops, and figure out how to— well. Not die.

 

For Connor, though… He’s gotten used to it. For the most part, at least. But there’s something about travelling to scavenge that never gets comfortable, or even normal, and it throws him off. 

 

All things considered, there’s something in the back of his mind that tells him that he and Evan could definitely be doing worse, given the circumstances. Dirty clothes and tattered sneakers don’t mean shit in the long run, especially when the bigger worries on their minds are how many bullets are left in their guns, or whether or not they’re actually going to eat, or live through the night.

 

Zombies fucking suck.

 

Regardless of circumstance, however, Connor’s determined to press on. He can’t tell by this point whether or not he’s pushing on for his own sake, to spite some otherworldly fucking being, or for… someone else, but when Evan grins at him over his shoulder and points over to a house a little ways away that seems untouched, the answer seems all too clear to him.

 

And that’s a thought he needs to push away immediately. So he does.

 

Instead, he focuses on the lazy, tired smile that’s stretching over Evan’s lips as he muses that “That— place looks like it, um— hasn’t been touched yet?”

 

And he’s right. Aside from the fact that all of the lights are out, there are no broken windows, or crashed cars, and the silence in the area is almost eerie as they make their way up winding paths, through debris and overgrown weeds.

 

When they finally approach the house, it isn’t without hesitation, both Connor and Evan stark silent aside from bated breaths as they keep their eyes out. Upon finding it clear, Connor’s first move is to wave Evan over, and they’re silent as they approach the back door, pulling it open with ease, and relieved as they discover it to be unlocked.

 

“...That— means they left, right?” Evan whispers to him, grip tightening on his gun as he flicks the safety back on, eyebrows furrowed. “I-I mean… there’s no other reason that it’d be unlocked, so—”

 

“Evan,  _ shut up. _ ” Connor shoves his free hand back, landing it somewhere over Evan’s mouth, and Evan, indeed, does shut up, looking to Connor with a panicked expression. It would seem as though he’s lost as to why, but as soon as it’s quiet, they hear some sort of disgusting gurgle from the next room over, and Connor curses. “Dammit.  _ Dammit _ , I knew it was too god damn good to be true.  _ Fuck _ . Fucking  _ zombies _ ruin everything.” He’s not shaking, thank god, but as he reloads his gun, he can only hope that there aren’t many of them. 

 

His wish seems to be granted. Upon entering the living room, Connor’s pleased to see that there are only two of them— two zombies that are shuffling towards him as soon as they notice he’s there. Luck seems to be on his side as he raises the gun, however, content with the fact that it only takes a bullet to each of their heads to shut them both up, watching as they collapse in heaps on the hardwood floor. He sucks in a breath before his nose wrinkles up, and he sighs, turning to look back towards Evan, who’s as white as a sheet in the doorway.    
  


“...All clear,” Connor mumbles, eyebrows furrowed as he crosses to the corpses, making a face. “Wanna help me get these things outside so we don’t have to smell them  _ rotting _ tonight?”

 

Evan’s fast to nod in response, joining Connor by his side in order to reach down, hauling the corpses up and walking them outside to dump them amongst the weeds. Somewhere half-way through taking the second body outside, Evan makes a remark that catches Connor off guard.

 

“They don’t seem like they’ve been…  _ gone  _ for long.”

 

The fact that Evan’s right leaves a bad taste in Connor’s mouth, but he shrugs it off regardless, forcing out a laugh and clearing his throat. “S’not our fault. If anything, we put them out of their damn misery.”

 

At least, that’s all that he can tell himself when they come across cases like this, when expressions are still visible, and facial features aren’t rotted to shit yet. When they still have clothes, and hair, and their limbs function like normal humans.

 

_ Fuck _ zombies.

 

“Let’s just— get inside and pick the fucking place apart. Maybe we can hole up here for the day. Get some rest, yeah?” 

 

It seems like a good enough idea to the both of them to slip in and immediately start to make their way around the house, rummaging through drawers and cabinets in search of  _ anything _ useful— a few bullets, or some clips, or even just a goddamn snack.

 

As Connor reaches for an old notebook, however, the last thing that he’s prepared to hear is a sharp wail coming from the floor above them, and his stomach immediately sinks.

 

Fuck.

 

He makes eye-contact with Evan from across the room, and it’s clear to him that his friend’s all but frozen up. He curses under his breath, hands shaky as he promptly reaches for his gun. “Ev. Hey. Stay here, okay? I’ll be right back, I just gotta-”

 

Connor watches Evan stumble as he rushes over, shaking his head. “No, no you— aren’t— you’re an idiot if you think I’m letting you go a-anywhere alone, Connor, come on,” he hisses out, a hand coming out to grab onto Connor’s free wrist. He can’t help but smile, shaking his head before he nods.

 

“Right. Right, sorry, Ev. It’ll be fine, you can come up with me, then, it’d be—”

 

“Connor, I don’t— I don’t think that either of us should go  _ up _ there. We don’t— know…”

 

Before Evan can so much as finish the thought, Connor’s got a hand on the railing and he’s running upstairs, heart racing as he checks each door, opening them to a bathroom, or a spare room, or some room that’s empty, empty,  _ empty _ — 

 

Until he places his hand against a doorknob that won’t budge, and the crying just sounds louder. Shit. Fuck. Dammit. He's just about ready to kick the damn thing down before he notes the hole in the center, and he hastily crouches down, rummaging through his pockets for a bobbypin. Once located, he moves closer, ignoring Evan as he screams beside him, shimmying the pin around until he hears a click, and an odd sense of relief floods over him. 

 

Funny how things feel better when they work out your way, even when the result isn't quite what you expected. Granted, Connor can't be sure of what he expected at all— he just knows that it wasn't a tiny blonde baby standing up in a crib, with its hands on the bars,  _ sobbing _ . 

 

“Holy shit.”

 

He feels both of Evan's hands on his arm before he hears him hiss ‘What?  _ What?’,  _ and Connor slips into the room, grabbing hold of Evan's hand before he moves forward. 

 

“Holy  _ shit _ , Evan.”

 

He knows when Evan finally looks by the way he draws in a sharp, sudden breath, and he goes rigid underneath his touch. 

 

It dawns on him that he doesn't know what to do the same time as he steps closer to the crib and peers down, watching as the baby looks up at him. There's a stream of light coming in through the window, and he watches as Evan moves to open the curtains, effectively illuminating the room. The baby's face scrunches up as the light hit it, and suddenly everything feels heavy. 

 

This is real. This is happening, and Connor doesn't know what the fuck to do. He never knew how to handle babies in the best of times, but now… Fuck. He sucks in a breath, holding it as he instinctively leans over, gently pulling the baby up before he shifts to cradle her in his arms, and— 

 

She shuts up. 

 

The moment that she settles into Connor's touch, she looks up at him and falls quiet, looking at him with wide, terrified eyes. Connor realizes just how thick the air feels, and it makes him go silent as well, breath catching in his throat. “Shit. Shit,  _ shit _ .”

 

As he turns around, he finds Evan standing by a dresser with a crumpled note in his hands, and upon looking closer, he realizes that he's  _ shaking,  _ and Connor shifts before he takes a few steps closer, reaching up to pick the note from his hands. He watches as Evan looks over to him, realizing that his face is about as white as a sheet. Fuck. Fuck. 

 

“What is it, Ev?” he mumbles, eyebrows furrowing before he actually begins to read it. Each word is rushed, the letters slurring together as if it's some odd mix of cursive and script, and Connor can tell by the way that the pen is smudged that it was  _ rushed,  _ and his stomach twists uncomfortably as he realizes why. 

 

‘ _ This is Chloe Ariel.’ _

 

Chloe. He glances down at her. Great. She has a  _ name _ . 

 

‘ _ please for the love of God if she's still alive, please take care of her. We were bitten. She deserves a chance where we failed to take care of her.’ _

 

Jesus Christ, he's gonna be sick. 

 

He crumples the note up and shoves it into his pocket, heart racing as he looks back at the baby— looks back at  _ Chloe _ — and he's talking before he knows it. 

 

“Evan. We can't leave her.”

 

The sick feeling won't go away, and the way that Evan looks at him only makes it worse, because this is fucked up. 

 

“...You—  you— Are you serious?”

 

Connor glances down at Chloe again, and the moment that he does, he realizes that she's staring up at him. His heart all but stops beating, he's sure, because there's just enough light to realize that her right eye is distinctively  _ different,  _ and her eyes are so big, and Connor nods quickly. 

 

“We— we  _ can't.  _ We can't. Leave her here, Evan.”

 

“ _ Connor…” _

 

_ “ _ I killed her  _ parents _ , Evan.”

 

Evan's standing with his back against the crib, looking at Connor carefully. “...They were already  _ dead _ , Connor.”

 

“That doesn't make it any  _ better _ .” He shifts, grip on Chloe adjusting, and she whines, softly- something that Connor's quick to remedy as he cradles her close to his chest. 

 

“ _ Connor _ , we can't— take care of— watch a—  _ take care of a baby _ , we can’t… I'm not even— I don't know how to— wake up in the m-morning sometimes, C-Connor, I— um—”

 

Shit. Connor swallows hard, bouncing Chloe before he gently lowers her back into her crib, managing a smile at her before he pulls away. He knows when Evan gets like this that it's just about the opposite of good, and he immediately lowers a hand to take Evan's.

 

“Whoah- whoah, hey. Hey, Evan. Ev. Sit down, okay? Come here. Fuck.” He squeezes his hand as he lowers himself down beside the crib, tugging Evan with him. “Breathe, Hansen. This'll be alright.”

 

“I can't—”

 

“Yes, you can. Breathe in, and out, and you'll be perfectly fine, Evan.” 

 

“ _ Connor _ —”

 

“...I know it's dangerous, Evan. I do. I fucking get it, okay? But we— she can't— her parents fucking  _ turned _ , and she's here, and we can't leave her.” One glance at Evan makes Connor's expression twist, and he shakes his head. “ _ No one _ deserves to be forgotten, Ev.”

 

That just about does it, he thinks. Shit. He watches as Evan’s expression twists up, watches as his knees tug to his chest, and he listens to the sharp breath that he drags in, because  _ fuck _ . 

 

But he doesn’t apologize. He can’t, because he knows he’s telling the truth, and all he can think to do is turn to him more, and ask him under his breath if it’s okay to touch him.

 

One sharp nod is enough, and Connor’s arms immediately come around him, fast and secure as his fingers spread over Evan’s back, curling into the tattered shirt. He breathes in as Evan leans into him, and he closes his eyes.

 

It’s moments like this that remind him of before. When things are quiet, and it feels like the only thing that they need to worry about is each other. When they could space out, and it didn’t matter, because there was nothing waiting in the silence to take them down.

 

But of course, the moments are always ruined quickly. When Evan tenses under his grip, he isn’t sure if he’d done something wrong until there’s a bubble of noise above them, and Connor’s attention flickers up to the baby reaching through the bars of the crib and grabbing for Evan’s shirt, bunching the material up in her tiny fist.

 

“...S’okay, it’s just her,” Connor mumbles under his breath, and he’s barely thinking as he leans in to rest his chin against the top of Evan’s head. “Just a sec.” He tugs himself away from Evan in order to stand up, gently coaxing Chloe’s fingers to let go of Evan before he reaches down to pick her up, hands shaking if only slightly. Her eyes flicker up to him again, and there’s something making him wonder if she can even focus on his face as he holds her, but that doesn’t stop him from forcing that little ‘It’ll be okay’ smile as he lowers himself back beside Evan.

 

It's always been him and Evan versus the fucking world. Sure, they had their friends, and Zoe, and Heidi, but when they're out, and scavenging, it's just the two of them. In school, it was Connor and Evan. 

 

And somehow, this kid is making it feel like everything's going to change. 

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so listen I can't think of how this warrants as an April Fool's Day joke, but it is one. Happy April Fool's Day, here's this 9 month old fic that I wrote last July or August because I have no self-control and now that Reinvention is over, I'd like to release it to the public, because I finally revealed Chloe.
> 
> This is kind of a canon-divergent sort-of-sequel to Reinvention in the sense that Connor and Evan have known each other since they were kids, and Chloe's there, but.... Yes.... Hope you enjoyed.


End file.
